Think Globally Act Locally
Reaping The Seeds We Sow
We all know that supporting our local business owner or entrepreneur has a positive and empowering effect on the community. Whether it’s the neighborhood kids running a lemonade stand on a sunny Saturday, a new start-up in town or your local “Mom and Pop” shop, supporting our community members matters to us.
At MANDA, we feel a special sense of connection and responsibility to our local community because we were raised here! That’s why we’re so committed to using domestic production methods and aligning ourselves with brands and organizations who also seek to support and give back to our community.
To empower our friends and neighbors to join us in creating positive change for the community, we’re outlining why supporting local business matters and adding in a few simple things you can do to help.
Boost Local Economy
It’s well known that small businesses are a main driving force behind economic growth and job creation, so our shopping habits and spending actually do make a difference to the community. Independent studies estimate that on average, local business generates approximately 70% more local economic growth than big-box retail. When you shop small, the bulk of the money you spend and most of your taxes stay local, assisting schools, paving streets and helping your police and fire departments keep you safe.
If every family in the US spent an extra $10 per month at a locally owned, independent business instead of a national chain, over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to our economy. Supporting your local economy is supporting your family and neighbors alike.
Create More Jobs
In addition, local jobs pay more on average than those at chain stores, supporting upward mobility and less income inequality for the community. Small businesses have also been shown to create and retain more jobs than large corporations, particularly in times of high unemployment. A well cared for workforce promotes peak innovation, production and thus increased competition in the local economy. Studies have also concluded that a community’s well-being is positively related to the state of its local businesses.
Care For The Environment
Anyone who’s observed the passing of seasons and growing of new generations can see the conditions in our natural environment suffering at astounding and irreversible rates. While the theory of globalization has many wonderful merits and good intentions of prosperity, we all continue to witness the damaging impacts this system has on the environment.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, industrial pollution is responsible for nearly 50% of the country’s pollution, as the US transports $2.2 trillion worth of product from 150 nations each year. Local, independent businesses and makers (inventors, designers and tinkerers) are far more likely to use locally sourced materials and reuse materials than large, corporate chains. Nearly 60% of small business owners report that they “occasionally or usually” use recycled materials and 7% report that they “always” do.
The Choice Is Ours
If we seek a life of prosperity and opportunity for ourselves and future generations, we must foster communities of conscious action. That’s why at MANDA, we’re dedicated to creating a product that minimizes our environmental impact while at the same time promotes good health. Our environment is a gift, and we reap the seeds we sow.
Fortunately, the ability to influence positive change for our communities is ever-present, the choice is simply ours to make. By each of us performing our own objective research and encouraging practices of conscious consumerism, we can empower ourselves and our communities to change for the better.
What You Can Do
- Make your next purchase or enjoy your next dinner at a local, independent business to put money back into your community
- Buy your groceries from a local grocer or farmers’ market
- Choose local, independent makers to help cut down on processing, packaging and transportation waste, leading to less pollution and helping the environment
- Tell friends about your favorite local businesses
Make informed purchasing decisions and spread your knowledge toothers
Sources:
American Economic Review, October 2012.
Maine Center for Economic Policy, Dec. 2011.
Civic Economics, Feb. 2013
The British Journal of Criminology, Jan.2014.
Local Economy, Oct. 2014.
